Of life and death

It happens to us all, the cycle of life catches us up, and we move on. I have been away for the past couple of weeks as a member of my family passed on.
My life has been turned upside down, given a little shake, and the ripples are still being felt.

I've had people around me die before, yet until now; I've never seen death.

It's a strange thing watching as someones body gives out, it changes you. Watching as they take their last breath. Feeling the energy dissipate from the body, leaving a shell. It's unlike anything I imagined. The realisation of how fragile life is, of how important it is to enjoy every moment, hits like a massive wave.

I feel the need to examine what is important, and to clear out the clutter. To have have fun, laugh, dance and sing, after all what else is there?.
I want to get to the end of my life saying "Wooohooo I made it!", not "Oh shit..."

Leave with no regrets...

A Quart, a Pinch, a Cup? Huh... WTF!

I find it confusing looking at different recipes online, depending on which region of the world they are from; different weights and measurements are used.
Today I found a number of helpful links, which have conversions for these measurements:

Cooking Weights and Measurements.

• Cooking weights and measures - Wikipedia
• Measurements and Conversion Table - Food Network
• Weights and measures conversion - Energy Australia
• Cooking Measurement Equivalents - Info Please
• Cooking Weights and Measures - The Cooking Index
• American Cooking: Weights and Measures, Including Oven Temperatures - Outside and Inside America

Temperature conversion

• Temperature conversion - Wikipedia
• Temperature Conversion - OnlineConversion.com
• Oven Temperatures - Hints and Things
• Oven Temperature · Cooking Conversion Chart - What's Cooking?

What Can Baking Soda do?

My massive collection of Bi-carb Soda (Baking Soda) Tips:

Cleaning

• Deodorise the whole house! Sprinkle carpets with Bi-carb Soda, leave a few minutes and then vacuum.
• For everyday freshness, fill a small container and leave in the fridge to absorb food odours. Replace every three months or so.
• Clean chopping boards, stainless steel sinks, ovens and rangehoods with food safe Bi-carb Soda sprinkled on a damp cloth. Rinse well and your whole kitchen will sparkle.
• In the bathroom: Bi-carb Soda will work a treat on bathroom surfaces too - bathtubs, tiles, floors, mirrors, screens and sinks.
• Keep your rubbish bin smelling fresh - periodically sprinkle Bi-carb Soda on the waste. On rubbish collection day, wash and deodorise the bin in a solution of Bi-carb Soda.
• Restore life to stained tea/coffee cups - apply to a damp cloth and rub away.
• Throw a handful of Bi-carb Soda into the bottom of the dishwasher mid-way between loads - this will eliminate odors and work double-duty as a gentle cleanser in the next wash cycle.
• Freshen sinks by slowly pouring half a cup down the drain together with warm tap water.
• Cleaning brass door knobs, window handles and ornaments.
• For a sparkling microwave, wipe over (inside and out) with a damp sponge sprinkled with Bi-carb Soda. Rinse well with water.
• Polish up the family silverware with a paste made from Bi-carb Soda and water. Rinse and dry well
• For stubborn oven grime, apply a paste of Bi-carb Soda and water to a warm oven, leave overnight and wipe off. For regular cleaning, apply paste to a cold oven, warm for 30 minutes and then rinse off.
• For dirty saucepans that don't respond to steel scourers, add cold water and one to two tablespoons of Bi-carb Soda and bring to the boil. When cool, finish off with steel wool.
• In a Stainless Steel sink add 1/2 cup Bi-carb to 1 gal of water and dip silver in water and wipe with sponge to remove tarnish. Works great! No more cleaning with silver polish.
• Remove corrosion from automobile battery cables. Paint it on and leave a thick layer. wait 5-10 minutes and flush with water.
• To clean oily stains from concrete and driveways, sprinkle over and scrub with a wet brush.
• Add half a cup to the laundry rinse cycle to give towels and linens a breezy freshness.
• Clean kids' toys by soaking or wiping down with a solution of Bi-Carb Soda and water. Rinse, dry and play.
• Freshen stuffed toys with a sprinkling of Bi-carb Soda. Wait 15 minutes, brush off and cuddle away.
• After the family BBQ, Bi-carb Soda will make light work of cleaning the grill. Just sprinkle on, scrub with a damp brush and rinse clean.
• Use Bi-carb Soda as a pre-soaker for soiled nappies, removing mold or stubborn stains. Dissolve 45 grams in a bucket of warm water, let soak, wash in hot soapy water and dry in the sun.
• As a whitener, add 2 teaspoons of Bi-carb Soda to half a bucket of cold water. Soak 30 minutes then wash as normal.
• Clean vegetables and fruit with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rise the produce.
• Oil and grease - stained clothing washes out better with soda added to the washing water.
• Clean combs and brushes in a soda solution.
• To remove stubborn stains from marble, Formica or plastic surfaces, scour with a paste of soda and water.
• Run you coffee maker through its cycle with a soda solution. Rinse.
• Remove that bad smell from ashtrays with soda and water. Also Sprinkle a bit of dry soda in your ashtrays to prevent smoldering and reduce odor. (Or give up smoking)
• Soak your shower curtains in water and soda to clean them.
• Use to sweeten sour dishcloths.

Deodorizing

• Sprinkle Bi-carbon your carpet before vacuuming to eliminate food and pet odors
• After emptying the garbage, sprinkle some Bi-carbon the bottom of the garbage can; this will neutralize the food odors.
• Keep an open box of Bi-carb in the back of your refrigerator and in your pantry; replace every 2-3 months.
• Pour Bi-carb down your garbage disposal while running warm water.
• Smelly shoes? Pour in a little and leave 2-3 days to absorb.
• Safely deodorise your pet's bedding by sprinkling with Bi-carb Soda. Wait 15 minutes then vacuum.
• Between your dog's baths, try a dry freshen-up - Sprinkle Bi-carb Soda into their fur, rub and then comb or brush out.
• Deodorise your car - sprinkle Bi-carb Soda over upholstery and carpets, leave for 15 minutes and then vacuum.
• Sprinkle Bi-carb Soda into smelly gym bags or golf bags to deodorise and freshen.
• To remove strong odors from your hands, wet your hands and rub them hard with soda, then rinse.
• If your baby spits up on his shirt after feeding, moisten a cloth, dip it in Bi-carb and dab at the dribbled shirt. The odor will go away.

Health and Beauty

• Wash your face in Bi-carb soda to take off dead skin and old make-up. Add to your shampoo once in a while to really remove old hair spray and setting gels.
• Mix 2 tbl spoons Bi-carb in 8 oz glass of water, and drink. Helps with stomach aches and gas.
• For fresh, silky-smooth skin, dissolve half a cup in your bathwater to soften your skin.. Relax and soak it up !
• For a sparkling smile, brush teeth with a paste of Bi-carb Soda and water.
• Bi-carb is a great teeth whitener. Sprinkle a little on your toothbrush before the paste goes on.
• Mix three parts to one part water for a gentle facial scrub that won't strip oils from the skin.
• Putting 2 tbsp. of Bi-carb in your baby's bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.
• Apply soda directly to insect bites, rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.
• Take a soda bath to relieve general skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.
• Take 1/2 teaspoon of Bi-carb in 1/2 glass of water to relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.
• Gargle with 1/2 tsp. Bi-carb in 1/2 glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.
• Used as a mouthwash, Bi-carb will also relieve canker sore pain.
• To relieve sunburn: use a paste of Bi-carb and water.
• Bug bites: use a poultice of Bi-carb and vinegar. It neutralizes the "sting" and provides relief instantly.
• Bee sting: use a poultice of Bi-carb and water. It neutralizes the "sting" and provides relief instantly.
• Windburns: moisten some Bi-carb and apply directly.

Cooking

• To make your own baking powder combine 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. This is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of commercial baking powder. If you are not using immediately, add 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch to absorb any moisture in the air and to prevent a premature chemical reaction between the acid and alkali.
• When scalding a chicken, add 1 tsp. of soda to the boiling water. The feathers will come off easier and flesh will be clean and white.
• Add to water to soak dried beans to make them more digestible.
• Add to water to remove the "gamey" taste from wild game.

Other

• Bi-carb Soda will put out fires in clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs. It will also work for car, grease or electrical fires.
• Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of Bi-carb on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out.